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Message: <blockquote data-quote="knightemplar" data-source="post: 4920330" data-attributes="member: 56260">Skill Test RulesSkill tests Making a test To make a test, you roll a number of six-sided dice equal to the governing attribute. One of the dice should be a different color than the others (this is the Drama die). If the Drama Die rolls a 6 or a 1, the character has probably achieved an especially noteworthy success or failure. If the Drama Die rolls any other number, it works just like a normal die. The player picks the highest die of all the dice (Drama Die included) and adds that number to the character's skill. This total test result is then compared to the difficulty number. As described above, of the Drama Die rolls a 6 or a 1, the result may be more spectacular than normal. If the Drama Die rolls a 6, the character adds both the Drama Die and the next highest die to his skill when determining his Test result. Usually this will indicate a great success.  If the player rolls a 1 on the Drama Die, the character may have grievously failed. If all other dice also rolled 1's, then a dramatic failure has occurred. If the character only rolls one die for a test, that die is automatically the Drama Die. If it rolls a 6, the character may reroll it once, and once only, and add the two rolls to his skill.  Examples of Difficulty Numbers Automatic       0, no test requiredRoutine          3-5Moderate      6-8Challenging 9-11Difficult       12-14Nearly Impossible   15+ Success and Dramatic Success If the total test result equals the Difficulty number, the character has achieved a marginal success - he's succeeded, but just barely, and some minor complication may have arisen. A marginal success depends on the situation and the individual test, but in some cases it could lead to additional tests in subsequent rounds. For example, a character attempting to leap a wide chasm scores a marginal success on his Athletics (jumping) test. The Narrator rules that he makes the jump, but rather than landing on his feet, he barely manages to grab the edge of the far side with his hands. The following round finds him hanging from the ledge, his feet dangling in space. It's probably time for another test. If the total exceeds the difficulty number by six or more, the character has achieved a dramatic success. Failure and Dramatic Failure If the roll is less than the Difficulty number, the character has failed. If he fails to meet the Difficulty number by 6 or more, he has experienced a dramatic failure. Dramatic failures tend to complicate matters, and should relate directly to the task being attempted. They may embarass the character, expose him to injury or harm, put him in a situation where he is in grave danger, require further tests, and so forth at the Narrators direction.  Improving Your Roll Edges Edges can modify skill tests. Positive edges allow players to roll additional dice when making a test, while negative edges force you to subtract dice from your roll. You can roll one additional die, or subtract one die for each point in a relevant edge. For example, a +2 edge would allow a player to roll two additional dice during a test, while a -1 edge would remove one die from his test attempt.  Courage Points The expenditure of courage points provides another method of increasing test results. A character's courage points often come in handy when a test generates a low total. If failure in a particular task can lead to catastrophic results - the failure of the overall mission or the death of the character, for example - the character can elect to spend up to 4 courage points to improve the test result. Each courage point increases the final test result by 1. The character does not have to decide to add them before he makes his roll; he can add them after he rolls the dice and determines that, without courage points, he would fail the test. A character cannot spend more than 4 courage points in a single round.  Special Types of Tests Attribute Tests This game is where skill is paramount, but occasionally a character will be called on to make a test based on his natural ability alone. In such cases (called attribute tests), simply roll the attribute dice normally to obtain the test result. The highest die still gives you the test result and drama die rules still apply. However, since you're not using a skill, you don't get to add the skill level to the roll.  Opposed Tests When one character acts in direct opposition to another character, both characters make appropriate skill or attribute checks. This is referred to as an opposed test, characters do not roll against a predetermined difficulty number, instead they simply roll to obtain a test result. The character who gets the higher test result is the victor. If the two results tie, the character who rolled higher on his drama die is the victor. If the drama die rolls are also tied, then the character who initiated the test wins.  The difference between the two characters' test results during an opposed test determines how much better the victor performed. A character whose test result exceeds his opponents by six or more achieved a dramatic success. Note that the dramatic failure rules do not apply during an opposed test, If one character achieves a dramatic success by exceeding his opponents test result by six, his opponent doesn't also get a dramatic failure.  Extended Tests Most normal actions resolve themselves quickly in a matter of seconds. You obtain your test result and either succeed or fail. Extended tests cover actions that consist of several distinct parts, or actions of extended durations. They often last for several rounds or longer. Extended tests are composed of turns; before a character begins the extended test, the narrator sets a turn length (anything from one minute to a day or more, depending on the action being attempted). The player rolls once each turn, adding his test results together until he has accumulated a total, cumulative test result set by the narrator. Once the player equals or exceeds the this cumulative number, his character succeeds at the task. Normal or dramatic failures may set the character back a turn or force him to begin the task again.  Combined Tests When several characters work together to accomplish a task (such as an extended test), the narrator may allow them to make a combined test. In a combined test, each participant must make a test with the same skill or attribute. The best test result is used as a base, and each successful test adds 1 to that result (Dramatic Successes add 2). Failures do not add to the total; however, if one of the characters gets a dramatic failure, either a setback occurs (possibly resulting in a subtraction from the total roll) or the group must start again from the beginning.  Combat Round Sequence Initiative - each character makes an initiative test, like an opposed test between the characters in the conflict. Each character makes a skill test for the skill he is using - for example, unarmed combat if the character is involved in a fist fight; primitive weapons if he is using knives, clubs, bat'leth or similar weapons; and energy weapon (phaser) when using that weapon. Each characters skill is modified by his reaction edge. The character who gets the highest initiative test result goes first, the remaining characters act in the order of their rolls. If two or more results tie, the character who rolls higher on the drama die is the victor.  A player cannot spend courage points to increase his initiative test result.  Actions - At this point, the acting player informs the narrator how many actions his character will attempt in the round. If the player attempts to perform multiple actions during the round, he may be subject to a multiple action penalty. The narrator assigns any modifiers and the player makes his first attribute or skill test.  1. Immediate actions or  timed actions Characters can take two types of actions during conflict. Immediate actions which take no time, (and do not have to be declared at the start of a round) and timed actions which do have to be declared at the start of the round. Most attacks and other actions in combat are timed, but not all.  2. Delayed actions Normally a character takes his action when his initiative test indicates he should, but sometimes he will want to wait. In this case, the character may delay his action. If he attempts to use his action to stop or interrupt another characters action, he and the other character must make an opposed test using their coordination (modified by any reaction edges); the character can only act before his enemy if he succeeds with this roll.  Reacting to Changing Circumstances Sometimes a situation changes due to outside influences or the actions of other characters. Rather than follow through with their declared or planned actions, characters can react to changes in a situation by altering their intended actions. Characters may change their actions to use dodge for evading an attack, primitive weaponry or unarmed combat to parry a blow. If a character has planned to take multiple actions, the multiple action penalty applies to his effort to dodge or parry. Characters who are not taking multiple actions may, if they choose, take an extra action to dodge or parry, though a multiple action penalty must then be applied.  Surprise A character can be surprised - startled into immobility by sudden, unexpected occurrences - which allows an attacker to make an contested action before the character can react. The surprised character cannot perform defensive actions (dodges or parries) or any other actions during this initial attack.  Multiple Actions It is possible for characters to attempt more than one action during a round. However, if a character tries to do too much at one time, his overall chance of success in each task is dramatically reduced. The first action in a round is "free" - by itself it carries no penalty. For each additional action the character wants to take, there is a +1 difficulty penalty for each action. For example, a character who declares that he will attempt eight actions in a round suffers a +7 difficulty penalty for all attribute and skill checks that round (even the first). In the case of dodging or parrying actions, which don't involve a difficulty, subtract the difficulty penalty from the test result. In short, trying to do too many things at once is a sure-fire guarantee that most or all of them will fail. </blockquote>

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